Imagica celebrates 20 years


The Skating Club of Boston’s adult theatre on ice team, Imagica, celebrated its 20th year in 2016. Imagica team members past and pres- ent attended an anniversary party to observe the milestone, which was chronicled in a cof- fee table book titled Imagica Theatre on Ice, Celebrating 20 Years of Friendships.


Imagica was born in the fall of 1996 as one of the fi rst adult theatre on ice teams in the coun- try, under the direction of Kingsford Swan. In the fall of 1997, one skater from Imagica’s fi rst year — Theresa Lee — and a small group of adult skaters decided to continue the team in Peabody, Massachusetts. The skaters met ev- ery Monday at 7 a.m. to work on a program that they performed throughout the year.


During the 1998 season, the group voted on a team name: Imagica Theatre on Ice. Felicia Reynolds, the team member who came up with the name, said the word is a combination of magic and imagination.


Martha Harding, Alisa Wallis Contreras and Tansey Mazzarino (2003–present) have coached Imagica over its two-decade exis- tence.


In the spring of 2004, Bob Withrow recruited


Imagica to join The Skating Club of Boston, where he was a member and board member. The team, including Withrow, practiced on Sunday nights in Brighton, Massachusetts.


Since then, Imagica has enjoyed success both internationally and domestically. The team traveled to Nice, France, in the spring of 2006, where it performed its Olympic parody free skate and shark attack short program. Imagica competed at and won the fi rst Nation’s Cup in


‘Celebration of Sisters’ commemorates sixth year


The Babson Skating Center in Wellesley, Mas- sachusetts, hosted the sixth annual “Celebra- tion of Sisters” ice skating fundraiser on Nov. 6.


Judy Lipson, founder and chair of Celebration of Sisters, began the fundraiser to honor the lives of her sisters, Margie and Jane. The event benefi ts the John D. Stoeckle Center for Prima- ry Care Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital.


“The fundraiser is giving back after losing both my sisters: Jane in an automobile accident at age 22 in 1981 and Margie in 1990 at 35, after a 20-year battle with anorexia and bulimia,” Lipson said. “Dr. Stoeckle was the shining light in the journey of Margie’s illness.”


Natasha Mishkutionok


Natasha Mishkutionok, who started skating at age 3, recently passed her senior moves-in- the-fi eld test at age 10. She tested her pre-pre- liminary moves-in-the-fi eld test at age 5, and has never failed any of her moves tests. Mish- kutionok, a member of the Dallas FSC, compet- ed at the most recent Southwestern Regional Championships in which she placed eighth in juvenile. She is coached by her mother, Natalia Mishkutionok, who is the 1992 Olympic pairs champion and two-time World champion with partner Artur Dmitriev. Natasha is a straight-A student at Grace Academy of Dallas.


The Celebration of Sisters featured skating performances by Mika Amdour, Sydney Cooke, Carolyn Evert, Cate and Claire Flem- ing, Kelsey and Lucy Gund, Jedidiah Isbell, Ben Jones, Emma L’Esperance, Jack Liu, Jessie Phaneuf- Moniz, Theresa Snow, Imagica of Boston and Team Excel inter- mediate.


Toulouse, France, in 2010, which was a qual- ifying event that also included a team from Australia. In 2011, the U.S. hosted the Nation’s Cup, which included a team from Moscow.


“The lifelong friendships and the enjoyment of performing for the judges and audience have given us great joy over the years and keep us motivated to continue skating and improving our skills,” Lee, who has been a member of Imagica since the group’s inception, said.


The show concluded with the signature num- ber “Up, Up and Away,” choreographed by Christyne Daley.


Lipson performed a solo to “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” choreographed by her coach Linda Blount. To honor her sisters, who both loved Carole King, and the event, which fell on Jane’s birthday, Lipson skated with two others to “Beautiful,” choreographed by Michael Phaneuf. During their younger years, the Lipson sisters enjoyed skating together.


“The sixth year proved to be beautiful,”


Lipson said. “This community fundraiser is fi lled with love, warmth, sharing and remem- bering my sisters. Skaters of all ages and dis- ciplines participate, inspiring their love of the sport while supporting a wonderful cause and touching many. It is my gift to my cherished sisters.”


— Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz


Many of the volunteers at U.S. Figure Skating Headquarters were treated to a thank-you lunch at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort on Dec. 20. This group helps the association with many of its mailings and contributes time in the museum. (l-r) Jean Bonack, Allison Ortega, Gigi Price, Mary Anne Kiskadden, Lannie Jurgens, Ruth Tombs, Leona Curtis, Linda Gooley, U.S. Figure Skating Museum Archivist Karen Cover, Pat Kissinger


SKATING 47


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